There are more caged tigers in the United States than there are wild tigers anywhere else in the world. Despite their relevant prominence, tigers aren’t the fiercest animals in the Netflix criminal docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness.” They are merely props of the narcissistic animal park owners of the captivating and increasingly insane storyline. 

The main personality of the show is Joe Exotic, the egoistic and naturally entertaining owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. Between his wild obsession of bartering exotic animals, ghost-performed music albums and self-broadcasted television show, it’s safe to say this Joe is not so average. 

The underlying story of the documentary is the feud between Joe Exotic’s G.W. Zoo and Big Cat Rescue led by cat-lover Carole Baskin, whose objective is to take down the many criminal exotic animal breeders in the United States. Breeders other than Joe Exotic are briefly featured in the show and all connect with each other through the trading of big cats.

The series features seven episodes between 40-45 minutes long plus a bonus interview episode hosted by Joel McHale. The original seven episodes were released March 20 and the bonus was released April 12. It has been number one on Netflix since March 22, two days after its release, and pulled in 34 million viewers within its first 10 days on the streaming service.

The show does an impressive job at staying neutral during a storyline where everyone seems to be the villain. In episode two, the filmmakers take the perspective of looking at the animal parks as cults, but in the next, they feature the unusual disappearance of Carole’s ex-husband, Don Lewis. Many accused Carole of murdering Don Lewis. 

With the intensity and increasing drama of the story, it feels like you are in a zoo as more and more wild and uncontrollable characters enter the plot. “Tiger King” has no reliable characters to get behind while watching, so the enjoyable and attractive aspect — what pulls you in and has made “Tiger King” the number one show on Netflix for the last few weeks — is the zoo that the filmmakers create for the audience to observe the characters rather than enjoy them. 

While Joe Exotic eventually ends up in prison, as suggested in the opening scene of the docuseries, he eventually still gets what he strives for: fame and attention. Living up to his self-given name of Tiger King, Joe Exotic is caged, fearless and nationally renowned.